Sliding door



July '10, w28.

- C. C. MCGINNIS sLIDING DooR Filed ne 27, isz? 2 sheets-speen AttorneyvPatented July 10, 1928.

orto sr 'rss Pars-r SLIDING DOOR. y l i Application led .June 27,

My present invention relates to an 4improved sliding door of the hingedor `iointed- I l panel type, and adapted when pushed for its Openingmovement to be folded into areceiver or housing leaving an unobstructed,

doorway. The panels are of metal or other fire proof material, thusproviding a closure for doorways, windows and otheropenings which willbe effective in preventing spread of fire. While the subject matter ofmy invention is adapted for various uses .and may be embodied indifferent forms, for convenience of illustration anddescription I shallhereinafter refer to the device as a slidable door that is movablehorizontally and its panels are adapted to be foldedor unfolded. Infolded position the panels are stored compactly in a housing or receiverprovided therefor at one side of the doorway and when'the door isbeingclosed these panels may successively be unfolded and slid intoposition to completely' vclose the doorway. Means are provided forguidingthe movement of the sliding and, folding panels as thej,7 enteror pass from their :housing in a Zig-Zag formation, and an oscillatablereceiver is provided for the reception of the folded panels, all as willhereinafter be more fully set forth and claimed. l

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete exampleflofthe 'physical embodiment of my invention in which CAD the parts arecombined and arranged according `to the best mode I have thus fardevised for the practical application of the y.principles of myinvention.

Figure 1 is a face view of a door and its frame embodying my invention,ythe door ,being closed.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the door and its frame, the door beingpartly open. Figure 3 is a vertical .sectional view through the housingand tubular door frame, 'the door being closed and the door and framebeing brokeny away for convenience of illustration.y Y 'l Figurev 4 'isan enlarged, horizontal, broken, sectional view, as at line/4 4 ofFigure l.

Figure 5 is a sectional detail lview of the overhead, tubular framemember showing Aa part of the doorl and suspending rollers thereon. l Yy' y 4 Y Figure '6 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view 'through thehousing showing the zig-zag formation of the folding panels and 1927,serial n. 201,615.v

the position ofthe folded panels within the oscillatable receiver in thehousing.V

- Figure 7 isa detail view'fshowi'ng the upper lend of the oscillatablespindle ofthe receiver 4and spring connection therefor.

Figure 8 is a det-ail perspective view showing a.hinge yjoint betweenpanels and the overlapping edges of adjoining or hinged panels.

The door frame and door are preferably made up Vof metallicparts,the'former being of rectangluar shape and includes, at the left rside inthe drawings', an upright housing 1, an overheadytubular'top rail 2 with7" ianged tracks 'or rails 3 and center, slot 4 'at the underside ofthetubular rail. v At the right of the frame a' tubular jamb 5'isfashioned with a vertical groove 6, in itsV .inner face, andtheVbottom'tubular bar 7 75 forming the base the frame is also provided'vwith 'aoenterjslot'l 'The frame is thus made `up of these rigidlyconnected parts, and the slidable',ifoldable, door lis guided at itsupper and lower edges inthe slots, and adapted to be folded within thehousing l when the door is opened..l

` The slidable door ismade up of a number of hinged or jointedl panelsor slats comprising an inner, panel 9, an outer panely 10,

and a suitable number of intermediate panels r11'. The Outenpanel v1()has two handlesv 12 and 18, one at each side'of the door, by means ofwhich the door may be slid'to open or closed position, anda sealing 90 y`plate 14, at the vertical edge of vthe outer panel, is adapted to fitinto the groove 6 of the door jamb, when the door is closed, toeffectually close the opening. V i' In thetubular overhead rail 2, apair of suspending wheels 15 on the'top of the outer panel, aredesignedto travel over the tracks 3, and the bottom'f'edge of the doortravelsv over a pair of supporting rollers 16"'havin'g` stationarybearings inthe base bar 7 ofthe 109 door frame, said bar forming the`sill for the door. Asbest seen in yFigure 8 the adjoining panelsf'arejointed or hinged toeacli other,`as at 17, and one of the panels has anoverlapping edge' or strip 18 to effectively 105 close the jointlbetween'the adjoining panels`- when the door is closed, f l. i i I lTheinner panel 9, which is normally ydis-lv posed at right angles to theplane ofthe of an oscillatablereceiver Aforthe: folded panels, and isfixed by brackets 19 to averi Y at 25 to the inner side of the topgofthe housing. l

The anchorage 25 for the springs is alined with the spindle and the topledge of the closed door, and the springs provide an equalized, resilientmeans for holding the inner paneland the receiverof which the panelforms a part, in position transversely of the line of the closed door,and when this receiver is oscillated by the closing movement of the dooras the latter is folded into closed position, the springs cushion themovement of the oscillating receiver.

As seen in the drawings, when the closed door is pushed open, thefolding panels take a zig-zag position, and the succeeding panelsare'laidagainst the preceding panels as the receiver oscillates.,

The inner faceof the housing Vis provided with an'ofset portion or box26 having a vertical slot 27 therethrou h for the passage of the panels,and guide anges 28 are provided at the lsides ofthe .slot for thepassing panels. To prevent excessive friction and noise, a pair ofspaced guide rollers 29, having vertical axes, are located at the bottomof the slot 27 and the rollers prevent undue wobbling movement of thejointed panels as they pass through the slot ofthe housing.

The oscillating receiver in addition to the inner panel 9 includes apair of horizontal U-shaped yokes 30, two of which are shown,

Vspaced above and below the middle of the spindle, and rigidly securedto the panel and spindle to oscillate' with them. On

their outer faces the pairs of arms of thesel` yokes are all providedwith resilient guide arms as 31 and 32 having at their free ends camfaces 33 and 34, against which the zigzag folding panels contact, Vasindicated in Figures 4 and 6 as the successive panels are moved into oryout of the housing. These guide arms are allowed to f give under impactfrom the foldingpanels, and for this .purpose they are hinged to theiryokes at 35 Vand provided with guide bolts 36 and cushion springs 37.The bolts pass through the yoke arms and through openings in theresilient arms, and the springs are coiled about the bolts andinterposed between ther bolts.

Thus it'will be apparent .that the door Y may be closed by pulling onahandle 12 or 13V to. unfold the panels from their receiver Vpanels ofthe door.

in the housing, (and the receiver 'may or may not oscillate with thisunfolding movement) and as the zig-zag panels pass through the slot 27of the housing the guide rollers 29 and flanges 28 guide the panels intoa straight line as they pass into the guide slots in the overheadtubular rail and the sill of the frame, and of course the wheels 15 androllers 16 guide the sliding door to closed position. y

By pushing in on the slidingv door, the panels are forced into andthrough the slot 27, and as the hinge between the inner panel 9 and thefirst intermediate panel is 0E center, or out of alinement with thestraightened, closed door, the first intermediate panel is laid againstthe inner panel and the succeeding panels follow this course with theirhinges at alternately opposite sides of the receiver. Y

Having thus fully described my inven-A rthe housing, of a sliding doorcomprising jointed panels one of which is hinged to the receiver inofi-center position, and means forguiding the door, in closing andopening movements. y

2. The combination with a door frame and housing and an oscillatablespindle in the housing, of a sliding door comprising jointed panels oneof which is rigidly secured to the spindle and disposedin a planetransverse to thel line of the closed door with, one hinged panel in oifcenter position relative to the rigid panel, whereby a zig-zag motion isgiven to the folding panels as they are laid against the transverselydisposed panel, and means for guiding the closing and opening movementsofthe hinged 3. The combination with a door frame and housing and anoscillatable spindle in the housing, of a sliding door comprising hingedpanels one of which is fixed to the spindletransverselyito the line ofthe closed door, resilient equalizing means for cushioning theoscillating movement of the spindle as a zig-zag' motion is given to thefolding-panels, and means for guiding the sliding movement of the door.Y

4:. The combination with a folding door comprising hinged panels, of anoscillatable spindlel and a transversely disposed ypanel of saidr doorsecured to the spindle, spaced guide yokes rigid with said transverselydisposed panel, and resilient guide arms on said yolres, whereby thefolding panels are guided with a Zig-zag motion.

In testimony'whereof I affix my signature.

Y- 'CLAUDE o. McGinnis.

